Before telling you the eye-opening stories of some real-life exorcists as well as real people who had experiences with their houses or bodies being possessed, what does the Church teach about
dabbling with the dark side?

For one, avoid astrologers, voodoo, palm reading, and all contact with the dark side. Here is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

2115God
can reveal the future to his prophets or to other saints. Still, a sound Christian attitude consists in putting oneself confidently into the hands of Providence for whatever concerns the future,
and giving up all unhealthy curiosity about it. Improvidence, however, can constitute a lack of responsibility.

2116All
forms ofdivinationare to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead
or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to
mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and
loving fear that we owe to God alone. -

Luke 10:17: “The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject
to us in your name!"

Matthew 9:32-33 “As
they were going away, behold, a dumb demoniac was brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the dumb man spoke; and the crowds marveled, saying, "Never was anything like this seen
in Israel."

Mt.
12:22“Then
a blind and dumb demoniac was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the dumb man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, "Can this be the Son of David?"

Mt.
17:18-20;And
Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" He said to them, "Because
of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move;

Mark 5:1-20;And when he had come out of the boat, there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 who
lived among the tombs; and no one could bind him any more, even with a chain; 4 for he had often been bound with fetters and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the fetters he broke in
pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him . . . “ (look up the rest. The story is long!)

Mark 7:26And
she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

Luke 4:35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And when the demon
had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm.

If you spend a few weeks reading nothing but articles and books by exorcists, you will find similar themes arising again and again: possessed people are bothered by religious articles;
demons hate holy water (water blessed by a priest); demons hate the image of Jesus; and demons loathe priests. The sprinkling of holy water agitates and arouses the rage of demons during
exorcisms, thus helping priests distinguish between true possession cases and those effected by a psychological disorder. Demons have long been disturbed by the crucifix, which reminds
them of Christ’s defeat of them on the Cross, and demons hate the Blessed Mother (they detest the fact that a mere human accomplished so much for God). Demons despise the holy name of
Jesus and prefer gutter language, often using the “f” word.

Demons are more likely to enter a person’s life via Ouija boards, astrology, palm reading, tarot reading and the other tools listed in our catechism than through other mortal sins.
Priests often comment that the things demons do and say are quite mundane, sputtering out unoriginal comments such as “I hate priests.” Hatred and anger oozes out their eyes as they truly desire
to kill people and pull their souls down to the underworld.

Fortunately, demonic oppression is more common than full-blown possession. Unfortunately, oppression can involve demons constantly influencing a person towards evil without
actually occupying their bodies.

Finally, do you know the difference between ghosts and demons? Demons are the angels who fell into hell following the lead of Lucifer who is the devil. Ghosts, on the other hand, are human
beings, and can visit Earth from hell, purgatory or heaven when God permits them. The ones in purgatory tend to show up to beg for prayers to expedite their purification so they can
enter heaven. Because God does not always allow them to speak when they appear on Earth, these souls have sometimes left signs such as burning handprints or have conveyed their
message by crying or facial expressions denoting pain. Humans visiting from hell may harass or even possess a person but this is not common.

Father Gabriele Amorth: This exorcist in Rome has performed 70,000 exorcisms. He has witnessed many possessed individuals
speaking in Greek, Latin, Aramaic, and unknown languages. After Pope John Paul II died, Fr. Amorth noticed that calling out to the late pope for help during exorcisms was very effective in
eradicating demons. The priest finally decided to ask a demon why this is so. One demon responded, “because he disrupted my plans” and “because he pulled so many young people from my hands.” On
one occasion, the exorcist asked Satan why he was so scared of the Blessed Mother. The answer was, “I am more humiliated to be defeated by a human creature than being defeated by Him.” Fr.
Amorth turned ninety years old in 2015. More resources:

3) “An interview with Father Gabriele
Amorth” (by Gyles Brandreth, The Sunday Telegraph), featuring Father Amorth’s quote: "I speak with the Devil every day . . . I talk to him in Latin. He answers in Italian. I have been
wrestling with him, day in day out, for 14 years."

In his
interview with the Catholic World Reporter, Fr. Thomas said he has only rarely spoken to the
demons he has exorcised, except to say, “What’s your name?” and “In the name of Jesus, get out!” One demon identified himself as Satan in the presence of the priest. According to Fr.
Thomas, “demons enter through the senses . . . it is as if the eyes of a person look like they have Coke bottle-like contact lenses; there is a presence within the presence. But the demons are
very devious, and they want to hide, and so I just continue looking at the eyes . . .”

According to Fr. Thomas, the common ways that demons gain access to human bodies
are involvement in pagan rituals, and satanic or occult practices, including Wicca, black magic, white magic, psychics, séances, Tarot cards, earth worship, witchcraft, crystals, and spells. Fr.
Thomas took a training course in exorcism at theRegina Apostolorum in Rome.

In this video, Fr. Gary Thomas speaks to hundreds of people at the University of Northern Colorado about his healing ministry as a Vatican-trained exorcist.

Father José Antonio Forteais an exorcist from Spain and the subject ofInterview With an Exorcist. He has said that the number of exorcists needed in recent years corresponds to the increase of individuals using
magic such as "New Age" practices. He is a Catholic priest from the diocese of Alcalá and was earning the first Ph.D. on the history of exorcisms.

His book explains what happens at an exorcism; the signs of
exorcism; the difference between possession and mental disorder; and how a priest can figure out if a demon is hiding his presence in a person. He also shares personal stories. Once he
blessed lemonade thinking that any blessed liquid would have the same effect as blessed water on a demon. Although the demon reacted, the lemonade did not have nearly as much power as blessed
water. The priest asked the demon why. The demon said holy water had more impact since it symbolizes purity and cleanliness.

In this Catholic Sun article, Father Fortea
explains the main four actions taken by demons to harm humans: 1) possession (the strongest and rarest) 2) infestation of a place 3) influence on the person 4)
temptation. Whereas possession always requires exorcism, some cases of “influence” or “infestation” require only a family gathered in prayer. Furthermore, “the blessing of a priest can
expel demons from infested areas” (Source:
Deliverance: Spanish exorcist to visit Diocese of
Phoenix, Catholic Sun 5/16/2013).

In this video, Pope Francis prays over a man who is possessed by four demons. The footage was shot in St.
Peter’s Square on May 19, 2013, on Pentecost Sunday. As usual, demons react in pain and anger to a priestly
blessing or the presence of holiness. The demons growl, hiss or roar through the victimized man.

After the man
was prayed over by the pope, Father Gabriele Amorth – Rome’s top exorcist – conducted a traditional exorcism over the man. The victim’s name is Ángel and he was a 43-year-old married man with
children at the time of the papal blessing. He hails from the state of Michoacán in Mexico. The pope did not perform a classical exorcism which would be
done with a prayer book and crucifix, but merely said a liberation prayer (which can also be considered an exorcism).

Exorcisms often taken
several months before the demon or demons are driven out. Stronger, more powerful demons will resist pressure to leave a human despite the torture and pain they must endure during prayers and
exorcisms. Their hatred of God inspires them to rebel and resist.

In this article, Ángel
describes the day in 1999 when the demons first entered him as he rode the bus. An evil presence entered the bus, approached him and then “stopped in front of me. Then, suddenly, I noted
that something like a stake pierced my chest and, little by little, I had the sensation that it was opening my ribs” (Gerard O’Connell, Vatican
Insider).

After the event, the man not only lost his physical health and came near death, but also “began falling into
trances, uttering blasphemies and speaking in unknown languages, with doctors who attended him unable to explain what was wrong” Catholic News Agency: Many prayed over by Pope says he
suffered from demons”). His poor health forced him to close his advertising business and sell his house (CNA). When a relic of St. Padre Pio was touched to the man’s chest, he felt peace and saw
a “special light” surrounding him, but was not cured.

Ángel had received about thirty exorcisms in the previous thirteen years to rid himself of his suffering but
continued to be possessed. One night, he had a dream in which he saw Pope Francis saying Mass. When he woke up, he turned on the television, and saw the pope saying Mass exactly as he had seen it
in his dream. He instantly got the idea that he should go to Rome (Vatican
Insider). In the dream, Ángel saw Pope Francis “dressed in red and praying with an incense burner in his hand and surrounded by bishops and cardinals” and when he turned on the
television, he saw “a Mass with the Pope dressed in red and with incense burning in his hand, surrounded by bishops and cardinals” (Catholic News Agency)

As seen on the
2013 Pope Francis video, the priest who accompanied Ángel to Rome from Mexico leans over and explains to the pope in Spanish that the man needs a blessing. He explains that despite many exorcisms,
the demons living in him don’t want to leave. That’s when Pope Francis becomes more serious, realizing this is not merely a man with a physical disability.

After the pope
prayed over the man, exorcist Father Amorth met with Ángel and conducted a classical exorcism on him. Father Amorth spoke to the demons and asked why they were so resistant, refusing to leave for so
long. Speaking in Latin and Italian, the demons responded that it was because of so many abortions in Mexico (note that the possessed man is a Spanish speaker who lacks knowledge of Latin and
Italian). About 880,000 abortions are conducted annually in Mexico, according to a 2008 study by the National Population Council, El Colegio de Mexico and the Guttmacher Institute. The demons had
previously given exorcists in Mexico the same reasons for the possession.

What the demons said in Mexico

The most
intriguing part of Ángel’s story comes from the International Congress of Exorcists of 2012, held in Mexico a year before the victim came to Rome. Ángel, whose case was well-known in
Mexico, was brought to this 2012 meeting of exorcists. There, an exorcism was conducted on Ángel. During the exorcism prayers, exorcists demanded and received answers from the demons. The demons’
answers were heard by many witnesses at the meeting.

The demons
said the main reason they continued to possess the man had to do with the growing violence of abortions in Mexico. The demons alluded to power they received whenever human sacrifices were
offered. They specifically referred to “sangre inocente que nos ofrecen” (“innocent blood that they offer us”) through abortions.

The demons
made multiple references to the Blessed Mother, saying she had kicked the demons out of Mexico in 1531 (a reference to Mary’s 1531 apparition to Saint Juan Diego as the Lady of Guadalupe
which converted Mexico to Christianity from the former Aztec religion which required many human sacrifices) but that thanks to abortions, the demons had gained entry to the nation
again.

The demon
continued, “… pero ustedes estúpidos con sus leyes … nos han abierto las puertas de nuevo.” This means, “ . . . but you stupid people with your laws . . . you have opened up the doors
again.” In 2007, abortions were decriminalized in Mexico City (the nation’s largest city) for the first twelve weeks of pregnancy. Also, abortion is now legal in thirteen of Mexico's 31
states.

Several times,
the demons said they didn’t want to reveal something to the exorcist priests, but that the Virgin Mary was forcing them to. The Virgin Mary made one demon tell the priests that she desired each
bishop in Mexico to conduct a general exorcism of their own diocese as reparation for the damage caused by abortions in order to end the violence in Mexico. The Virgin Mary also requested prayers of
atonement and forgiveness.

At one point,
a demon revealed that he did not want the priests to know that the Virgin Mary “está aquí” (is here) and was “torturing” him “just like many years ago when we were kicked out of this
country.”

According to Villasana, Ángel had offered himself to God as
a victim soul to make amends for the offenses against God through abortions, and this was one reason he was suffering from possession. Villasana said Ángel was a spiritual person whose suffering in this manner will lead to his own spiritual growth. The show's
host is Roberto O’Farrill. The host and guest both have a copy of the exorcists’ document in their hands.

If anyone has a link to the
aforementioned Church document about Ángel or to an English transcript of the television show, please forward.

A nationwideexorcism of Mexicowas conducted in May 20, 2015 in the Cathedral of San Luis Potosí. Presiding over the exorcism was Cardinal Juan
SandovalÍñiguez. Journalist Roberto O'Farrill also attended. Now that bishops have conducted a major exorcism of the
country of Mexico, it is hopeful that efforts to eradicate the demons from Ángel and from the
nation will be successful soon.

This Jesuit priest was 26 years old when he helped out with the exorcism of thirteen-year-old
boy who became possessed after his attempts to communicate with the dead using a Ouija board. This exorcism was the basis for the famous 1973 movie, The Exorcist.

More recently, journalist Michael Brown interviewed Father Halloran about the exorcism. Read the interview at this link. Asked to describe some of the more unusual phenomena during the exorcisms, the priest mentioned seeing the boy’s bed going up and down and seeing a water bottle that
was sitting on furniture come “flying across the room and just missed me by an inch or two.”

The priest also noted that the child would get extremely agitated whenever the name of Jesus,
Mary or Saint Michael was spoken aloud in prayer. The head exorcist in the case was Fr. William S. Bowdern. According to the Washington Post, the boy reported seeing Saint Michael
the Archangel casting out the demon during one of the exorcisms.

Father Juan José Gallego– In this CNA article, Fr. Gallego from Spain says entry points for possession
include reiki and some forms of yoga and that addiction is a type of possession. He also says that pride is the devil's favorite sin. Father Gallego is an exorcist for the Archdiocese of
Barcelona in Spain (Source: What’s the devil’s favorite sin? An exorcist
responds, CNA,
2015).

In this Spanish-language interview of the exorcist, Fr. Gallego recalls a case in which a possessed 16-year-old boy in Ecuador suddenly spoke perfect Latin and
commanded the priest: “I order you never to say the Our Father again.” Asked if the devil ever laughs, Fr. Gallego said yes, but sarcastically and out of pure bitterness.

Watch this video of
former Miss Michigan Kelly Nieto– A former atheistic New Age follower, Kelly Nieto was heavily involved in the occult. She even had an
Indian Shaman spirit in her basement who would speak with her and get her coveted auditions in show business. On one occasion, a cleaning lady went down to the basement and began screaming loudly
because she saw the spirit. She ran upstairs and started shaking Kelly. The lady said, “I walked in this room and the Lord said to me you have opened the doors to hell in this
basement.”

Kelly is a married woman with kids who was fiddle player and comedian (she even opened for Garth Brook and
David Copperfield). She was 3rd runner up in the Miss America pageant. She eventually met a holy Christian lady who shared her faith. Kelly later had a mystical experience of
the Crucifixion in which she witnessed the event, even smelling it and feeling it.

The Demon of Brownsville Road– This book is based on the
true events of the Cranmer family house in Pittsburgh. After 10 years of unexplained creepiness, everything intensified in 2003. Finally, exorcists forced the demon to leave. Bob Cranmer wrote a
book to help people. News Report on Cranmers.

The
Vatican’s Exorcists: Driving Out the Devil in the 21st Century by Tracy Wilkinson The author of this
fascinating book was the Rome bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times. Wilkinson shares interesting facts such as 1) Italy has 350 exorcists 2) In the third century, there were
52 exorcists, according to Pope Cornelius 3) Msgr. Andrea Gemma (an exorcist and Italian bishop) says that the visiting of magicians and fortune tellers is the most common
way the devil attacks victims 4) the devil hates Latin 5) Msgr. Gemma says he has only treated ten true possessions in 13 years 6) A possessed woman named Lucia
vomited needles, spoke in languages she did not know, shouted vulgarities, and could not enter a church without feinting or vomiting

Her interest in tarot cards almost destroyed her – This woman’s story has been
told again and again. The details are always different, but the effects of dabbling in the occult invariably lead one down a dangerous path. When the person finally tries to break free of the
occult practice of choice, the devil will not be satisfied until he destroys the person either through violence or suicide. Sometimes the demon's goal is to destroy a family through divorce. In
this case, the woman thought her mastery of tarot cards and fortune telling would give her a method of helping others solve their problems while also empowering herself. She became enslaved to
the cards and felt helpless without them.

On the advice of family and friends, who noticed the cards were changing her, she tried to break free. That’s when Satan waged a battle to destroy her. She felt
an evil presence in her room and experienced suicidal thoughts and despair. When she finally resolved to give up the occult in the name of Jesus Christ, Satan upped his battle. She writes, “I saw
in my room a hideous figure resembling a werewolf, but incomparably more ghastly and real … I recall the intense hatred in that monster’s eyes – something I had never seen in a living person!”
Thanks to prayers and the Sacraments, the woman says she has been free of her ordeal for five years now, healed by Jesus Christ. Link: The Tarot Tells Lies (LOA magazine).

She dreamed of a demon. After seeing a demon in her dream, she woke up and it was still there. This woman says her
sister-in-law convinced her to try a New Age meditation in which one empties one’s mind. The woman thought it would bring her closer to God. Instead, that night in a dream, she saw “a demon. It
was so black and had a huge build. It was like looking at a very black gorilla but with horns. I was so terrified I woke with a start only to realise the demon was actually in my room at the foot
of my bed. Even if the room was in total darkness you could feel and see it. I was so scared …” (Source: scroll to GeneviveD28).

Hateful spirits in bedroom - This young man reports that “nearly every night since I first fell in to lustful sin, there have been two
evil presences in my room on either side of my bed. I have yet to talk to a priest about this, but it's incredibly scary. The one to my
right is more powerful, I can feel it …” (Source: scroll to JJT).

Regular
People: On the online forums of a wonderful minstry called Catholic Answers, people occasionally write in requesting advice on handling some creepy things happening in
their homes.

Other people offer advice, with the most common advice being 1) get the
home blessed by a priest 2) sprinkle holy water everywhere 3) place a crucifix in each room 4) spend more time in prayer, especially Mass, rosary and the St. Michael
prayer 5) call on the name of Jesus during an event. 6) making the sign of the cross 7) reverently saying the names Jesus, Mary and Joseph 8) fasting.

Here is a small sampling of what regular people have reported on those
forums:

1)One person shares the
disturbing Ouija Boardexperiences of his father
and grandmother:Link here(Scroll to
“PMV”)

2)Her mother saw glass fly
off table and smash on wall duringOuija
Board:Link
here(scroll to the second “Dempsey1919)

3)This person was fully awake
in bed when the room became distorted as if something was “coming from another
dimension….I looked to my right and on my bed was this half black, half transparent small round thing sitting on my
bed looking at me.” Link here (scroll to
lakotak)

4)Back in college, this guy
thought it would be fun to use his roommate’s Ouija board to contact a man who ended his own life. What followed what a horrifying presence of a hateful creature who was hot and miserable.
(Source: scroll to
“MJCamp”)

Author bio for Fr. Driscoll: “Fr.
Mike Driscoll is a priest of the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois. He was ordained in 1992, has been pastor of several parishes, and is currently serving as chaplain of St. Elizabeth s Medical Center
in Ottawa, Illinois. He has a B.A. in economics from the University of Illinois, an M.A. in moral theology from Mount St. Mary s Seminary, and a Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision from
Regent University.”